We’re nearing the finish line on both duplex kitchens and have just cleared a major to-do: installing the backsplash tile in both units. Since it’s a two-unit house, we tiled two kitchens back-to-back, which felt daunting at first, but we completed both backsplashes over a 3-day weekend. It’s a huge relief to have them off the list, so here’s how they turned out and eight practical things you can do to set yourself up for a faster, smoother tile project.
There are still a few finishing touches to do—like adding shelving to the tiled walls and installing a wipeable beadboard-style treatment across the stove wall—but Sherry already staged a few accessories so the kitchens look a bit more finished. She’s in charge of morale.
Here’s a quick before-and-not-quite-after: the room after we installed the cabinets but before starting the backsplash:
And here’s how it looks now:
Floor-to-ceiling tile delivers the visual impact we wanted, injecting bold color and pattern into each kitchen. It’s even visible from the front door and really lifts the whole downstairs vibe—not just the kitchens.
Both tile styles come from Tile Bar. The pink pattern used with the blue Ikea Kallarp cabinets is called Bella Tate, and the blue pattern paired with the wood Ikea Askersund cabinets is Bella Moma. We grouted both with Mapei Flexcolor in Warm Gray, which is our go-to grout because it’s flexible and reliable for many projects.
Both are durable porcelain tiles that mimic cement tile without the care and staining issues of real cement. Each tile is roughly 9 x 9 inches and priced at about $7.99 per square foot, so tile materials for each kitchen ran just under $400. It’s not the cheapest backsplash we’ve ever done, but for such a bold statement, it felt like a great value.
Both backsplashes were fairly straightforward to install—we tiled, grouted, and photographed both in about 2.5 days. The main reminder from the job: PREP & PLANNING IS KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL TILE JOB. It’s not the most glamorous part, but investing time up front to plan pattern placement and prep materials will save time and produce a much better finish. Here are eight specific steps we recommend before you start tiling.
8 Things To Do Before You Start Tiling
Many of these tips are particularly important for medium-to-large tiles and tiles with printed patterns. Smaller-format tiles like mosaics or penny tiles behave differently and may need less of this kind of planning. The key reason to take these steps is to avoid tiny slivers of tile at edges, which are hard to cut and can make a pattern look off or highlight uneven walls.
1. Find Your Max & Minimum Measurements
Measure precisely—down to 1/8 or even 1/16 of an inch—before making cuts. Because walls and ceilings often slope, measure multiple points to find the maximum and minimum distances. For example, one chimney side in our kitchen was 1/2″ shorter than the opposite corner. Walls can also bow, so check across the whole surface with a long level. Minor bows can be addressed in grout or caulk; larger bows may affect how many tiles you need or where to start your layout.
2. Lay Out & Measure Your Tile
Don’t rely solely on paper math. Lay a row of tiles with spacers on the floor to get precise measurements and to see how the printed pattern reads. Our 9×9 tiles measured closer to 8.75″ after accounting for grout spacing, which changed the fit. Laying tiles out revealed we’d be short if we used seven full tiles, which would have forced an awkward sliver at one end. Instead, we planned to use six full tiles plus two slightly larger-than-half tiles on top and bottom to keep the pattern centered and disguise the ceiling slope.
3. Plan Ahead For Outlets & Obstacles
Account for outlets, switchplates, pot fillers, and other obstacles. We prefer outlets installed horizontally and close to the counter because they’re easier to hide. In our layout, starting with a half-tile on the bottom meant any outlet cuts fell along an edge instead of smack in the middle of a tile—much simpler and cleaner to execute.
4. Plan Your Pattern Side-To-Side Too
Plan horizontally as well as vertically. Use a level to check for horizontal slopes or bows and consider dry-fitting the first row on the wall to see where seams will fall. For us, centering a seam beneath the sink/window allowed us to balance cuts on both ends. If one side required shaving a little off to accommodate a bow, that’s preferable to creating thin slivers that draw attention.
5. Double-Check That It’s Level
If you plan to use the countertop as a reference for the first row, confirm the counter is level. Even if it’s not perfectly level, it’s often the visual reference your eye will use later, so check it against nearby horizontal surfaces like cabinet bottoms and window sills. For areas that span gaps without a continuous counter, snap a level line on the wall and ensure your first row remains true to it as you work.
6. Cut Your First Row
We like to cut the entire first row before applying adhesive, especially when all the planning and measurements are fresh. If your wet saw has a guide, lock it in place and make consistent cuts quickly. This reduces time spent fiddling while thinset is drying and helps ensure the first row is uniform. You’ll still make some final cuts around outlets and corners, but pre-cutting saves time and stress.
7. Protect Your Work Area
Cover counters and floors with a moisture-resistant paper like red rosin paper to catch drips of thinset or grout. Run painter’s tape along the counter edge first so the protective paper can be placed precisely without getting in the way. If any tape gets trapped under tile, remove as much as possible; small remnants can usually be covered with caulk later.
8. Trim Any Molding Interferences
Consider trimming inside edges of window sills or moldings so the tile can slide behind them. Using a Dremel or similar tool to remove a small notch lets you tuck a straight tile edge behind trim rather than cutting a jagged notch into each tile. If you don’t want to trim the molding, you can cut tiles to fit, but trimming often gives a cleaner, faster result.
All these prep steps might feel like time you could spend tiling, but they’ll make the entire process smoother and improve the finished look. I’ve learned the hard way that skipping careful planning can leave you with small slivers of tile or awkward cuts that make the overall result look less professional.
Despite a few curveballs—like matching the pattern around a window—we’re very happy with these backsplashes. Now we just have to finish the beadboard treatment for the stove wall, install floating shelves, and stock the cabinets with plates and cookware before these kitchens are truly done. That’s when we can finally call the project complete. Bye!
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